Parts 1-5 focused on God’s love, compassion, and mercy, even amid tragedy.
Today, we will again ponder the many questions in life, starting with birth.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Psalm 139:13
The Story of Bella Joy
Bella Joy had an uneventful pregnancy. There was nothing out of the ordinary at any point in time during her pregnancy. All the precautionary prenatal care guidelines were followed. She even passed all the recommended tests with flying colors, including genetic testing. Still, she and her family prayed for a healthy baby.
The Eventful Delivery
Miss Bella had a delivery that went sideways. The soon-to-be mom, for the second time, had scheduled a C-section on August 3. Yet, the baby had different plans. Unexpectedly, this young woman went into spontaneous labor on August 2.
Her medical team was on board and ready to prep her for the C-section when she arrived at the hospital. Not long after, Miss Bella gave birth to a baby boy. She was on edge until she heard the sweet sound of her newborn cry. Within seconds, he did. The wail seemed to signal a healthy baby. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She remembers her doctor saying calmly, “Your baby is having difficulty breathing.” But because Miss Bella had heard the infant cry, she didn’t overthink what the doctor had said. The doctor did not sound alarmed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, she remembered joking with the medical staff about there being a full moon that night.
In the meantime, five nurses and doctors were working on her baby. She didn’t realize the commotion had been about her baby. She hadn’t a clue. However, when the OR staff person wheeled her to the nursery, she sensed something was off. When she saw her husband, she knew something was dreadfully wrong.
At that moment, she learned that an infant can cry and still not be okay. “What could it be?” She asked herself. Her ultrasounds had been normal; and her pregnancy had been uneventful. She was not prepared for what was next.
Miss Bella’s son was born with Neonatal Marfan Syndrome, a rare genetic disease. She wanted answers.
“Where was God?” “Why did this have to happen?”
In the next post, we will keep searching for answers.
#Birth #Neonatal Marfan #Sacredness #WhereWasGod #Tragedy #LifeQuestions
I and Thou Reflections 